TutorLink
Background
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As part of my Google UX Design certification, I completed a case study on TutorLink—a mobile app that connects parents with qualified tutors. Using the design thinking process, I created a platform where tutors can showcase their expertise, availability, and teaching styles, making it easier for parents to find the right support for their child.
Role
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User research
User flows
Interaction designs
Low and high prototypes
Design system
Challenges
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The key challenges I want to solve for this project are:
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Defining a unique value proposition to differentiate the app from competitors
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Designing intuitive interfaces that ensure a seamless search and booking experience for parents
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Building a cohesive design system to create a recognizable visual identity for the platform
Results​
Research​
As a new app entering a competitive market, I conducted a competitive audit of two direct and two indirect competitors to evaluate their search and booking processes for both new and returning users. By analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, I identified gaps in their platforms. These insights helped me define opportunities for TutorLink to address user pain points effectively and enhance its appeal to both first-time users and returning users.
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Competitors
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Wyzant (direct): Connects students with tutors for both in-person and online sessions, offering a wide range of subjects with flexible scheduling
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Advanced filters allow parents to find tutors based on subject, price, and availability
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Offers both in-person and online sessions
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No subscription required—users only pay for the sessions they book
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TutorMe (direct): Provides on-demand tutoring with instant matching, including a virtual classroom for seamless online learning
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Connects students with available tutors within minutes
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Interactive whiteboard, text editor, and video chat all in one place
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Tutors are available anytime, making it easy to book outside of typical hours
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Outschool (indirect): Offers group classes and one-on-one learning experiences for kids, focusing more on enrichment and extracurricular activities
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Offers everything from academics to hobbies and life skills
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Encourages collaborative learning, in addition to 1-on-1 options
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Strict teacher vetting ensures a safe environment for kids
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Kumon (indirect): A structured learning program that provides ongoing academic support rather than flexible, session-based bookings.​
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Focuses on long-term skill-building with consistent practice
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Combines worksheets with tutor guidance
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Regular assessments help monitor student improvement
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Gaps
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Many platforms like Wyzant and TutorMe offer great tutor listings but lack an intuitive, streamlined booking experience. Parents often navigate multiple pages before confirming a session.
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Platforms often show outdated schedules, leading to booking conflicts.
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While filters exist, they don't always provide personalized recommendations based on the child’s learning style, goals, or past bookings.
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After booking, parent-tutor communication is often handled outside the platform, complicating follow-ups.
Opportunities
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Simplifying the booking flow into fewer steps can be a core differentiator, ensuring parents stay on the "happy path"
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Allow tutors to sync their calendars, showing only available slots in real-time
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Use user preferences and past bookings to suggest the best-fit tutors
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Enable seamless communication within the app to confirm details and share progress
Personas
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I created two personas based on two types of potential users
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A parent who occasionally uses the app to find one-time tutor sessions for their child and prefers a quick booking process
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A parent who wants consistent, quality tutoring for their child and focuses on long-term tutoring results
User journey map
Sitemap
Based on the research findings, I created a sitemap to define the key sections of the bottom navigation bar: a home screen for tutor searches, a calendar for real-time session updates, a messaging screen for direct tutor communication, and a user profile for reviewing past sessions and managing settings. The sitemap also allows me to visualize the product as a whole while keeping the project’s goals in focus.
User flows
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To ensure a smooth process for both returning users (referred to as 'members') and new users ('non-members') in this project, I designed two user flows to map out their distinct paths. The non-member flow includes an additional login screen before booking, as access to the calendar, tutor messaging, and payment information requires an account.
Initial user flow
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In the initial user flow, I designed the first screen to welcome users and provide a 'Get Started' button, allowing them to initiate their search. This leads to a screen with a search bar and subject categories for easy browsing. The initial user flow follows a linear process, guiding users from searching for a tutor for a specific subject to booking a session with the tutor in seven steps for members and eight for non-members.
Initial user flow
Refined user flow after usability study
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After conducting a usability study with five participants using the first low-fidelity prototype, I found that all participants (5 out of 5) preferred to access the search bar immediately and considered the initial welcome screen as unnecessary.
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In the refined user flow, I added the search bar to the first screen and moved the subject selection to a subsidiary flow, allowing for a more immediate search experience. Additionally, I combined the date and time selection screens into one, streamlining the booking process. These changes reduced the steps for members from seven to five and for non-members from seven to six, enabling a faster and more efficient search and booking experience.​
Refined user flow after usability study
Low fidelity prototype​​
Initial low fidelity prototype
Refined low fidelity prototype after usability study
Design system
High fidelity prototype
Search interaction
Booking process
Tutor profile
Next steps
I will conduct a usability study using the high-fidelity prototype to evaluate improvements in time on task, task success rate, conversion rate, and error rate. Additionally, I will assess overall usability using the System Usability Scale (SUS).